On occasion I have seen the following quote attributed to Plato, but I think it is an error that may have begun with a mis-attribution in Elbert Hubbard’s Scrapbook (published in 1923) and which has been passed down through the generations :

“A bad man is wretched amidst every earthly advantage: a good man—troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”

I have read through the whole corpus of Plato’s dialogues without coming across anything similar. Further, an internet search turns up nothing of substance.

The quote is almost identical to what we find in Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians;

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

I suspect that Hubbard misunderstood a footnote in Ebenezer Cobham Brewer’s A Guide to Grecian History, Mythology and Literature which was published in 1859 (Period IV Appendix, Section 2.4, page 356). While trying to explain Plato’s moral philosophy Brewer conflated a description of Plato’s anthropology with a quote from Scripture.

I would be very appreciative if anyone can provide any related information.

Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it.

Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one city of the poor, the other of the rich; they are at war with one another, and in either they are many smaller divisions, and you would be altogether beside the mark if you treat them as a single state.
~ Plato, in The Republic, Bk. 4, 423.

Every man has had kings and slaves, barbarians and Greeks, among his ancestors.
~ Plato, in Theaetetus, 155

False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.

I think that the pleasure is to be deemed natural which arises out of the intercourse between men and women; but that the intercourse of men with men, or of women with women, is contrary to nature, and that the bold attempt was originally due to unbridled lust.
~ Plato, in The Laws, Bk. 1, 636

Mankind censure injustice fearing that they may be the victim of it, and not because they shrink from committing it.
~ Socrates, in Plato’s The Republic, Bk. 1, 334c.

Shall we carelessly allow children to hear any casual tales which may be devised by casual persons, and to receive into their minds ideas for the most part the very opposite of those which we shall wish them to have when they are grown up?
~ Socrates, in Plato’s Republic

The difficulty, my friends, is not to avoid death, but to avoid unrighteousness; for that runs faster than death.
~ Socrates, in Plato’s Apology

Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom.

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.

Students in my classes at Southwestern, here are the textbooks that we will be using this semester. Please use the isbn to get the exact edition. It might cost you a few extra $ to get the edition specified but it will make your study and our discussion much easier.

Aristotle opens this work with the claim that “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly, every action and every intention is thought to aim at some good.” Is he right? (page 1)

There are three major streams of inquiry in western philosophy; (1) metaphysics, (2) epistemology, (3) axiology. What questions/answers do these streams represent? Which of these is illustrated in Aristotle’s Ethics? (page 1)

When Aristotle speaks of virtue, to what is he referring?

What, according to Aristotle, is “the good”? (page 1) How does his terminology relate to that of Plato? (pages 5-6) Do they both have the same definition of “The Good”?

Why does Aristotle say that a young man is not a proper student of politics? (page 3) Do you agree with Aristotle?

What does Aristotle believe to be “the highest of all goods achievable by action”? (page 3) How comfortable are you with this truth claim?

Describe Aristotle’s concept of “happiness.” (page 3, 8) Building on his definition of happiness he writes, “then the good for a man turns out to be an activity of the soul according to virtue, and if the virtues are many, then according to the best and most complete virtue. And we should add ‘in a complete life’, for one swall does not make a spring, nor does one day; and so too one day or a short time does not make a man blessed or happy.” What is his point(s)? (page 10)

We will be reading about Plato’s ethical system later in the course. For now, it is sufficient to note that while “happiness” was at the center of Aristotle’s system of ethics, “justice” was at the center of Plato’s system of ethics (and, of course “The Good”). Around what would you build your own system of ethics?

Aristotle describes “three kinds of life [people].” What are they? Can you describe them? (pages 4-5)

Why does the life of a money-maker not make a fourth category? (page 5)

When describing his disagreement with the Platonists, Aristotle says that “it is sacred to honor truth above friendship.” Have you ever been put in a position where you had to make this choice? How does this tension exist in the various elements of your life? Family? Academic? Theology?

What does Aristotle mean when he says that man is by nature political? (page 9)

Would Aristotle participate in a small-group ministry?

Aristotle notes three kinds of good? What are they? Which does he say is the most important? (page 11)

Aristotle’s ethical sytem emphasizes action. Why? (page 12) How does this compare and contrast with a New Testament ethic?

Aristotle puts forward the question as to “whether happiness is acquired by learning or by habit or by some other form of training, or wheter it comes to us by some divine providence or even by luck.” Do theologians agree on the answer to this question? What do you think?

Why do you have to wait till the end of a man’s life to determine whether or not he is happy? Who is the Solon that Aristotle is referring to? (page 14) Do we then base happiness on a man’s fortunes? (page 15) Would Aristotle approve of the premises behind the Sermon on the Mount?

When comparing justice and happiness, which does Aristotle say is more praised and which is more godlike or better?

What does Aristotle believe about the relationship between religion and politics? (page 18)

Diogenes Laertius has handed down to us some fascinating source material in his work Lives of Eminent Philosophers. The historical background he provides for Paul’s address on Mars Hill is extremely enlightening, and yet it seems to be completely ignored by most expositors of the book of Acts. [Read more…]